System and method for protective coating of reinforcement

ABSTRACT

A coated member is disclosed. The coated member has a member and a coating disposed on the member. The member is metallic and the member is bent at two or more locations along a length of the member. The coating is an elastomeric coating. The coated member is a soil reinforcing member.

This application is a continuation application of and claims the benefitof priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/671,421, filed Mar.27, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 62/125,054, filed Jan. 12, 2015, which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to a coating system and method and,more particularly, to a system and method for protective coating ofreinforcement.

BACKGROUND

Many construction projects include providing coated metallic elements inlocations of varying levels of corrosivity, such as in aggressive and/ornon-aggressive soils for corrosion. Metallic elements may be disposed insoils that may cause corrosion over relatively long periods of time, orin soils that may cause corrosion in relatively shorter periods of timesuch as areas exposed to chemical deicing, tidal water, or ground water.Use of coated metallic elements in either aggressive or non-aggressivesoils often results in increased degradation of the coating and basemetal of the coated metallic elements over time. Such degradation mayresult in a reduction of a service life of a structure.

Conventional methods for protecting metallic elements in the abovesituations typically involve providing metallic elements including steelstrips or wires that are galvanized or aluminized. For galvanizedcoatings, steel strips or wires are typically configured into a finalgeometry, then hot-dip galvanized in a bath of zinc. For aluminumcoatings, a sheet of steel coil is typically dipped in a bath of purealuminum, and then the steel coil is slit and the steel strips areconfigured into a final geometry.

One disadvantage of these conventional systems involves the additionalmetal needed beyond an amount appropriate for strength andserviceability design to account for corrosion of metallicreinforcements within an area subject to corrosion (e.g., within anearth mass as in mechanically stabilized earth applications). Forexample, typical design specifications for highway infrastructure setforth that a design should account for 75 or 100 years of corrosion,which typically results in an increase in supplied metal thickness ofmetallic elements of approximately 50% to 100% more than a nominalamount appropriate for strength and serviceability design.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,927,112 (the '112 patent), issued to McKittrick,describes a protective coating for use in a mechanical connection of amechanically stabilized earth structure. The method disclosed in the'112 patent includes applying a dielectric barrier coating on astructurally compromised region of a tensile member to delay an onset ofcorrosion.

Although the system disclosed in the '112 patent may provide a methodfor delaying an onset of corrosion, the system does not provide a methodfor accounting for corrosion of a coated metallic element oversubstantially an entire service life of a structure. Further, the systemdisclosed in the '112 patent does not appear to provide a method forproviding relatively thinner metallic elements that account forcorrosion over a service life without having increased thicknesses toaccount for corrosion.

The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of theshortcomings set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect, the present disclosure is directed towarda coated member. The coated member includes a member and a coatingdisposed on the member. The member is metallic and the member is bent attwo or more locations along a length of the member. The coating is anelastomeric coating. The coated member is a soil reinforcing member.

According to another aspect, the present disclosure is directed toward amethod. The method includes providing a member, bending the member at aplurality of locations along a length of the member, and coating themember with an elastomeric material. The coated member is a soilreinforcing member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an exemplary structural system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the exemplary structural system;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an exemplary reinforcing member;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken through section A-A of the exemplaryreinforcing member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken through section B-B of the exemplaryreinforcing member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken through section C-C of the exemplaryreinforcing member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the exemplary reinforcing member;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an exemplary connection assembly;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the exemplary connection assembly;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a first additional exemplary embodiment of anexemplary structural system;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of the first additional exemplaryembodiment of an exemplary structural system;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a second additional exemplaryembodiment of an exemplary structural system;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a third additional exemplary embodiment of anexemplary structural system;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken through section E-E of the thirdadditional exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken through section F-F of the thirdadditional exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a fourth additional exemplary embodiment of anexemplary structural system;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken through section J-J of the fourthadditional exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken through section K-K of the fourthadditional exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a fifth additional exemplary embodimentof an exemplary structural system;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a first alternative embodiment of thefifth additional exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of thefifth additional exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of a sixth additional exemplary embodimentof an exemplary structural system;

FIG. 23 is a sectional view of a first alternative embodiment of thesixth additional exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of thesixth additional exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for providing aprotective coating on a member;

FIG. 26 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary step of submersionin a solution;

FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary drying step;

FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary preparing step;

FIG. 29 is a schematic illustration of exemplary coating equipment;

FIG. 30 is a flow chart for another exemplary method for providing aprotective coating on a member; and

FIG. 31 is a graphical illustration of a corrosion rate of the exemplaryreinforcing member compared to conventional corrosion rates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary structural system 5 for supporting aloading. Structural system 5 may be any suitable structural system forsupporting load such as, for example, a mechanically stabilized earth(MSE) structural system such as an MSE wall. Structural system 5 mayalso be, for example, a structural system disposed in or near corrosivesoil or a structural system disposed in an area exposed to chemicaldeicing. Further, for example, structural system 5 may be a structuredisposed at or near a tidal water area or at or near an area havingground water. Structural system 5 may be, for example, a structuralsystem disposed on land, a marine structural system, or a coastalstructural system. Structural system 5 may also be a structure disposedin or a near a non-aggressive soil that may cause corrosion after arelatively long period of time.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, structural system 5 may include one ormore structural members 10, material 15, one or more reinforcing members20, and one or more connection assemblies 25. Structural member 10 maysupport material 15. Reinforcing member 20 may be disposed in material15 and may reinforce structural system 5 by supporting structural member10. Connection assembly 25 may connect structural member 10 andreinforcing member 20.

Structural member 10 may be any suitable structural element forsupporting load such as, for example, a load associated with material15. Structural member 10 may be formed from any suitable structuralmaterial such as, for example, concrete, steel, polymeric material,composite material, wood, plastics, compacted material such as fill ororganic material, or any other suitable material for supporting load.For example, structural member 10 may be a prefabricated concrete panel,a cast-in-place reinforced concrete panel, a container containing fillsuch as a canvas container, or a polymeric or plastic structural member.Structural member 10 may be an integral structural member or may be partof a modular structure including a plurality of structural members 10.For example, structural member 10 may be a precast panel and a pluralityof structural members 10 may form an MSE panel wall that supportsmaterial 15. For example, structural member 10 may be a concrete fasciamember. Also, for example, structural member 10 may be an integralstructural member such as a cast-in-place concrete wall, steelstructural member, plastic structural member, slurry wall, hybridstructural member, composite structural member, and/or any othersuitable structural member for supporting material 15. Further forexample, structural member 10 may be suitable for retaining earth.

Material 15 may be any suitable material for use in structural system 5.For example, material 15 may be soil such as compacted soil and/ornon-compacted soil. Material 15 may include organic material and/or fillmaterial. For example, material 15 may include sand, expanded shale,crushed stone, gravel, silt, coal, clay, sand, stones, glass and/orsynthetic materials. Material 15 may include fine aggregate materialand/or coarse aggregate material. Material 15 may include any suitableearth or soil material. Material 15 may be natural and/or manmadematerial. Material 15 may be unreinforced, natural material and/orreinforced material including cementitious material, plastic matreinforcement, artificial material such as plastics, additives, and/orany other suitable material for use in structural system 5.

Reinforcing member 20 may be any suitable type of member for reinforcingstructural system 5. As illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, reinforcing member 20may include a member 30, a coating 35, and an aperture 40. Coating 35may provide a protective layer for member 30, and aperture 40 may bedisposed at an end portion of reinforcing member 20 and may be used inattaching reinforcing member 20 to connection assembly 25. Reinforcingmember 20 may be embedded in material 15 and may be connected tostructural member 10 by connection assembly 25. Reinforcing member 20may stabilize structural system 5 by extending back from structuralmember 10 into material 15. Reinforcing member 20 may be, for example, asoil reinforcing member.

Member 30 may be any suitable member for reinforcing structural system5. For example, member 30 may be a soil reinforcing member. Member 30may include any suitable material for reinforcing structural system 5.For example, member 30 may be a metallic material. Member 30 may be amaterial that is subject to corrosion. Member 30 may be, for example, asteel material. For example, member 30 may include carbon steel, highstrength low alloy steel, low alloy steel, and/or any other suitabletype of structural carbon steel. Member 30 may also include alloy steel,tool steel, stainless steel, and/or any other suitable type ofstructural alloy steel. Member 30 may include a structural steel such asmild steel including A36 or A50 steel, or high strength steel such asprestressing steel. Member 30 may also include structural metals suchas, for example, aluminum, iron, tin, copper, nickel, lead, and/or anyother metal suitable for use as reinforcing metal. Member 30 may be ahybrid material that includes metallic and non-metallic components. Itis also contemplated that member 30 may be a nonmetallic material suchas a plastic, polymeric, or other suitable nonmetallic material for useas a reinforcing material. Member 30 may be galvanized by any suitablegalvanization method. Member 30 may be aluminized by any suitablealuminization method.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, member 30 may be of any suitable dimensionsfor reinforcing structural system 5. For example, member 30 may have alength L of between about 6 feet and about 100 feet, between about 8feet and about 50 feet, or between about 12 feet and about 25 feet. Alsofor example, member 30 may have a width W of between about 1.5 inchesand about 6 inches, between about 2 inches and about 4 inches, orbetween about 2 inches and about 3 inches. Further for example, member30 may have a thickness T1 of between about 1116 inch and about 1.0inch, between about 3/32 inch and about ¾ inch, or between about ⅛ inchand about ½ inch. Additionally for example, length L of member 30 may begreater than width W of member 30, and width W of member 30 may begreater than thickness T1 of member 30. Width Wand thickness T1. ofmember 30 may be substantially constant along length L of member 30.Also, width W and/or thickness T1 of member 30 may vary along length Lof member 30. As described further below, member 30 may be bent at twoor more locations along length L.

Coating 35 may he any suitable coating for providing a protective layerover member 30. Coating 35 may be formed from any suitable materialsuitable for providing a protective coating that may provide straincompatibility with member 30. For example, coating 35 may be anelastomeric coating. For example, coating 35 may include a singlecomponent thermoplastic material. For example, coating 35 may be amaterial that is substantially entirely a polyurea material. Also forexample, coating 35 may include a two-component thermoplastic material.For example, coating 35 may be a two-component aromatic thermoplasticmaterial. For example, coating 35 may be a material includingpolyurethane and/or polyurea. For example, as further described in theexemplary method below, coating 35 may be formed from a spray-in-placeelastomer such as, for example, a fast-cure spray thermoplasticpolyurethane and/or polyurea.

Coating 35 may be a material having a tensile strength of between about2,000 psi (lbs/in²) and about 7,000 psi. Additionally for example,coating 35 may have a tensile strength of between about 2,500 psi andabout 6,700 psi. Also for example, coating 35 may have a tensilestrength of between about 2,000 psi and about 5,000 psi. Further forexample, coating 35 may have a tensile strength of between about 4,500psi and about 5,000 psi. A tensile strength of coating 35 may bemeasured, for example, according to ASTM D412 (American Society forTesting and Materials D412: Standard Test Methods for Vulcanized Rubberand Thermoplastic Elastomers-Tension). Also, for example, coating 35 mayhave a high shore D hardness allowing for desirable abrasion resistance.

Coating 35 may be a material having a tear strength (e.g., tearresistance) of between about 500 psi and about 1000 psi. Also forexample, coating 35 may have a tear strength of between about 700 psiand about 1000 psi. Additionally for example, coating 35 may have a tearstrength of between about 750 psi and about 950 psi. Also for example,coating 35 may have a tear strength of between about 800 psi and about900 psi. Further for example, coating 35 may have a tear strength ofbetween about 850 psi and about 900 psi. A tear strength of coating 35may be measured, for example, according to ASTM D624 (American Societyfor Testing and Materials D624: Standard Test Method for Tear Strengthof Conventional Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomers).

Coating 35 may be a material having an elongation that may providestrain compatibility between member 30 and coating 35. Coating 35 mayhave an elongation property that is greater than relatively brittlematerials such as, for example, epoxy. Also, coating 35 may have anelongation property that is greater than other coating materials suchas, for example, zinc and aluminum. For example, coating 35 may be amaterial having an elongation of between about 75% and about 700%. Alsofor example, coating 35 may have an elongation of between about 90% andabout 600%. Further for example, coating 35 may have an elongation ofbetween about 300% and about 600%. Additionally for example, coating 35may have an elongation of between about 450% and about 650%. Also forexample, coating 35 may have an elongation of between about 500% andabout 600%. Further for example, coating 35 may have an elongation ofbetween about 550% and about 600%. Member 30 may have an elongation thatis equal to or less than the elongation of coating 35, so that straincompatibility may exist between member 30 and coating 35 as describedbelow. For example, member 30 may experience strains of between about 1%and 3%, which may be significantly less than strains that coating 35 maybe capable of experiencing, based on its elongation properties. Anelongation of coating 35 may be measured, for example, according to ASTMD412 (American Society for Testing and Materials D412: Standard TestMethods for Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomers-Tension).

Coating 35 may be a material having a di-electric strength of betweenabout 200 and about 400 V/mil. Also for example, coating 35 may have adi-electric strength of between about 200 and about 350 V/mil. Furtherfor example, coating 35 may have a di-electric strength of between about240 and about 320 V/mil. Additionally for example, coating 35 may have adi-electric strength of between about 250 and about 300 V/mil. Adi-electric strength of coating 35 may be measured, for example,according to ASTM D149 (American Society for Testing and Materials D149:Standard Test Method for Dielectric Breakdown Voltage and DielectricStrength of Solid Electrical Insulating Materials at Commercial PowerFrequencies).

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, coating 35 may have any suitable thicknessfor providing a protective coating for member 30. For example, coating35 may have a thickness T2 of between about 10 mils (e.g., about 0.254mm) and about 100 mils (e.g., about 2.54 mm). Also for example, coating35 may have thickness T2 of between about 20 mils (e.g., about 0.508 mm)and about 80 mils (e.g., about 2.032 mm). Further for example, coating35 may have thickness T2 of between about 20 mils (e.g., about 0.508 mm)and about 60 mils (e.g., about 1.524 mm). Additionally for example,coating 35 may have thickness T2 of between about 30 mils (e.g., about0.762 mm) and about 50 mils (e.g., about 1.27 mm). Also for example,coating 35 may have thickness T2 of between about 40 mils (e.g., about1.016 mm) and about 60 mils (e.g., about 1.524 mm). Thickness T2 ofcoating 35 may be a substantially uniform thickness. Also, thickness T2of coating 35 may vary along length L and/or width W of member 30. Forexample, thickness T2 of coating 35 may be relatively thicker at an endportion 42 (e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 8, and 9) of reinforcingmember 20, as compared to other portions of reinforcing member 20. Forexample, thickness T2 may be thicker at end portion 42 (which may be afirst end portion) relative to other portions of reinforcing member 20,and thickness T2 may decrease in thickness along a length of reinforcingmember 20 in a direction moving away from end portion 42.

Any suitable ratio between thicknesses and T2 may be provided forreinforcing member 20. Thickness T1 of member 30 may be, for example,between about 2 times and about 125 times greater than thickness T2 ofcoating 35. Also for example, thickness T1 may be, for example, betweenabout 5 times and about 100 times greater than thickness T2, or betweenabout 10 times and about 50 times greater than thickness T2. It is alsocontemplated that thickness T1 may be, for example, about the same sizeas thickness T2, or that thickness T1 may be, for example, less thanthickness T2.

Coating 35 may include a material similar to LINE-X protective coatingsavailable from LINE-X, LLC. Also, for example, coating 35 may include amaterial similar to Speedliner® available from Bearcat Industries, L.P.Further, for example, coating 35 may include a material similar to RhinoExtreme™ 11-50 GT available from Rhino Linings Corporation.

Coating 35 may be a protective coating that substantially preventscorrosion of member 30. Coating 35 may be applied to substantially allsurfaces of member 30 and may thereby cover substantially the entiremember 30. Coating 35 may thereby completely encapsulate member 30.Coating 35 may thereby provide a protective coaling for substantiallyall surfaces of member 30. Accordingly, design thickness T1 of member 30may be reduced because substantially no additional material to accountfor corrosion over a service life of reinforcing member 20 isappropriate. Accordingly, coating 35 may allow for a decreased thicknessT1 of member 30 to be used. It is also contemplated that only somesurfaces of member 30 may be coated with coating 35 so that member 30may be partially encapsulated by coating 35.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, member 30 maybe bent at two or more locationsalong length L and/or width W so that reinforcing member 20 includes aplurality of curved segments 45 and substantially straight tangentialsegments 50. Curved segments 45 may allow reinforcing member 20 todevelop increased resistance with a portion of material 15 disposedbetween crest lines 55 and 60. Crest lines 55 and 60 may be disposedbetween outermost surfaces of curved segments 45 as illustrated in FIG.7. Portion 65 of material 15 disposed between crest lines 55 and 60 maybe restrained in a load direction D and act integrally with reinforcingmember 20. A friction force between portion 65 and reinforcing member 20may be increased, because an apparent surface contact area andcoefficient of friction between the particles of material 15 disposed inportion 65 and reinforcing member 20 are increased, based on theconfiguration of portion 65 having a height H. Further, coating 35 mayhave a relatively rough surface that may increase frictional resistancebetween material 15 and reinforcing member 20, increasing a resistanceof reinforcing member 20 from pull-out from material 15.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, reinforcing member 20 may be anelongated inextensible element that may be shaped into a nonlinearelement so that axial tension may be resisted by flexure in portions ofreinforcing member 20 instead of direct linear stress. As illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 7 and as further illustrated in the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed below, reinforcing member 20 may have a non-linear shape suchas, for example, a sine curve, a series of zigzags, a series of tangentsand curves, and/or a spiral in any plane. As load is applied toreinforcing member 20 in direction D, reinforcing member 20 may elongateas a function of a configuration-material relationship. This additionalextensibility allows the portion 65 of material 15 to develop increasedshear strength and may reduce the load in reinforcing member 20. Also,as load is applied, the configuration of reinforcing member 20 maytransfer the load into the surrounding portions of material 15 by bothfriction and passive soil resistance (e.g., the passive resistance beinga function of the geometry of reinforcing member 20). After elongating,reinforcing member 20 may remain at a desirable stress.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, connection assembly 25 may be anysuitable connection for making a mechanical connection betweenstructural member 10 and reinforcing member 20. Connection assembly 25may include a member 70 and a fastener 75. Fastener 75 may mechanicallyfasten reinforcing member 20 to member 70.

Member 70 may be any suitable member for connecting structural member 10and reinforcing member 20. Member 70 may be formed from a material thatis similar to member 30 of reinforcing member 20. Member 70 may becoated with a coating 80 that may be similar to coating 35 ofreinforcing member 20. Coating 80 may cover some or substantially theentire member 70. Member 70 may be attached to structural member 10 byany suitable method. For example, member 70 may be mechanically attachedto structural member 10 or may be inserted into structural member 10prior to structural member 10 being cast (e.g., when structural member10 is a cast member). For example, member 70 may be coated with coating80 and embedded in structural member 10 (e.g., that is a precastconcrete member or cast-in-place concrete member) prior to hardening ofstructural member 10. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, member 70 mayinclude apertures that may be aligned with aperture 40 of reinforcingmember 20.

Fastener 75 may be any suitable mechanical fastener for fastening member70 and reinforcing member 20. For example, fastener 75 may be a threadedbolt assembly including a threaded nut and a threaded bolt that may beinserted through aperture 40 of reinforcing member 20 and apertures ofmember 70 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 8). Fastener 75 may be coatedwith a coating 85 that may be similar to coating 35. Coating 85 maycover some or substantially the entire fastener 75. For example,coatings 80 and 85 may cover substantially all surfaces of connectionassembly 25. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, fastener 75 may provide amechanical connection between member 70 and reinforcing member 20 byutilizing apertures of member 70 and aperture 40 of reinforcing member20. Fastener 70 may also be any other suitable fastener such as, forexample, a clamping device. It is also contemplated that member 70 andreinforcing member 20 may be attached by adhesive, welding, or any othersuitable method for attaching structural members.

As disclosed above, thickness T2 of coating 35 may be relatively thickerat end portion 42 of reinforcing member 20 disposed at or nearconnection assembly 25, as compared to other portions of reinforcingmember 20. Coatings 80 and 85 may be of a similar thickness as thicknessT2 at end portion 42 of reinforcing member 20. For example, because endportion 42 and connection assembly 25 may be located at a zone ofmaximum stress of structural system 5 (e.g., along a boundary between anactive and resistant zone in the case where structural system 5 is anMSE wall), coatings 35, 80, and 85 may have relatively greaterthicknesses at this location of relatively greater stress. Also forexample, thickness T2 may decrease in thickness along a length ofreinforcing member 20 in a direction moving away from end portion 42 andconnection assembly 25.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a first additional exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosed structural system. Structural system 5 a may include oneor more structural members 10 a, material 15 a, one or more reinforcingmembers 20 a, and one or more connection assemblies 25 a. Structuralmembers 10 a may support material 15 a. Reinforcing members 20 a may bedisposed in material 15 a, which may be similar to material 15, and mayreinforce structural system 5 a by supporting structural member 10 a.Reinforcing members 20 a may be similar to reinforcing member 20.Connection assembly 25 a may be similar to connection assembly 25 andmay connect structural member 10 a and reinforcing member 20 a.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, structural members 10 a may form ablock fascia unit 28 a. Structural members 10 a may be similar tostructural members 10. Reinforcing members 20 a may be attached to somestructural members 10 a via connection assemblies 25 a. It is alsocontemplated that reinforcing members 25 a may be attached tosubstantially all structural members 10 a via connection assemblies 25a. Structural members 10 a may be any suitable modular structural systemfor supporting material 15 a. For example, structural members 10 a maybe reinforced precast concrete panels. As illustrated in FIG. 11,structural members 10 a may be of substantially similar configurationsand/or variable configurations to facilitate assembly of block fasciaunit 28 a.

FIG. 12 illustrates a second additional exemplary embodiment of thedisclosed structural system. Structural system 5 b may include material15 b and one or more reinforcing members 20 b. Reinforcing members 20 bmay be disposed in material 15 b and may support material 15 b, whichmay be similar to material 15. Reinforcing members 20 b may be similarto reinforcing member 20. As illustrated in FIG. 12, reinforcing members20 b may support material 15 b by being disposed in material 15 b,without inclusion of additional structural members and connectionassemblies. It is also contemplated that structural system 5 b mayinclude fascia structural members and/or connection assemblies.

FIGS. 13-15 illustrate a third additional exemplary embodiment of thedisclosed structural system. Structural system 5 c may include one ormore structural members (not shown, may be similar to structural member10), material (not shown, may be similar to material 15), one or morereinforcing members 20 c, and one or more connection assemblies (notshown, may be similar to connection assembly 25).

As illustrated in FIGS. 13-15, reinforcing member 20 c may includemembers 20 c 1 and 20 c 2, that may be formed from material similar tomember 30. Members 20 c 1 and 20 c 2 may be coated similarly to member30, with a coating 35 c that may be similar to coating 35. Reinforcingmember 20 c may be a grid-like or built-up reinforcement assembly. Forexample, reinforcing member 20 c may be welded wire reinforcement, andmembers 20 c 1 and 20 c 2 may be reinforcing bars.

FIGS. 16-18 illustrate a fourth additional exemplary embodiment of thedisclosed structural system. Structural system 5 d may include one ormore structural members (not shown, may be similar to structural member10), material (not shown, may be similar to material 15), one or morereinforcing members 20 d, and one or more connection assemblies (notshown, maybe similar to connection assembly 25).

As illustrated in FIGS. 16-18, reinforcing member 20 d may include amember 30 d that may be formed from material similar to member 30.Member 30 d may be coated similarly to member 30, with a coating 35 dthat may be similar to coating 35. Reinforcing member 20 d may be asubstantially flat member having substantially no bends or curves. Forexample, reinforcing member 20 d may be a substantially flat platemember.

FIG. 19 illustrates a fifth additional exemplary embodiment of thedisclosed structural system. Structural system 5 e may include one ormore structural members (not shown, may be similar to structural member10), material (not shown, may be similar to material 15), one or morereinforcing members 20 e, and one or more connection assemblies (notshown, may be similar to connection assembly 25).

Reinforcing member 20 e may be similar to reinforcing member 20.Reinforcing member 20 e may include a plurality of bent segments 45 eand substantially straight tangential segments 50 e. Bent segments 45 emay be relatively sharp bends in reinforcing member 20 e. The pluralityof bent segments 45 e and substantially straight tangential segments 50e may develop increased resistance as discussed above with reference tocurved segments 45 and tangential segments 50.

FIG. 20 illustrates a first alternative embodiment of the fifthexemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 20, a reinforcing member 20e 1 is looped to form an aperture 22 e. Aperture 22 e may serve apurpose that is similar to aperture 40, described above.

FIG. 21 illustrates a second alternative embodiment of the fifthexemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 21, reinforcing members 20e 1 are looped to form apertures 22 e. As illustrated in FIG. 21,reinforcing members 20 e 1 may be attached to transverse reinforcingmembers 20 e 2 to form a grid pattern such as, for example, a weldedwire mat.

FIG. 22 illustrates a sixth additional exemplary embodiment of thedisclosed structural system. Structural system 5 f may include one ormore structural members 10 f (may be similar structural member 10),material 15 f (may be similar to material 15), one or more reinforcingmembers 20 f (may be similar to reinforcing member 20), and one or moreconnection assemblies 25 f.

Connection assembly 25 f may be formed from similar materials asconnection assembly 25 and may be coated similarly to connectionassembly 25. As illustrated in FIG. 22, connection assembly 25 f mayinclude a connector that is partially embedded in structural member 10 fand that has a mechanical fastener (e.g., a pin or a bolt) that extendsthrough the embedded connector and reinforcing member 20 f, therebyforming a connection.

FIG. 23 illustrates a first alternative embodiment of the sixthexemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 23, reinforcing member 20 fmay extend through structural member 10 f. Connection assembly 25 f 1may be a fastener such as a pin or bolt that extends through an aperturein reinforcing member 20 f and along an outer surface of structuralmember 10 f, thereby forming a connection. Connection assembly 25 f 1may be formed from similar materials as connection assembly 25 and maybe coated similarly to connection assembly 25

FIG. 24 illustrates a second alternative embodiment of the sixthexemplary embodiment. Connection assembly 25 f 2 may be similar toconnection assembly 25 f 1 and may be disposed inside of structuralmember 10 f.

Wherever appropriate, features of any of the above disclosed exemplaryembodiments may be utilized with any other of the above disclosedexemplary embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The exemplary disclosed system and method may be used in any applicationinvolving providing a protective coating of reinforcement material. Forexample, the disclosed structure and method may be used in applicationsinvolving construction and/or structural systems having metallicreinforcement that is exposed to corrosion. Also for example, theexemplary disclosed system may be used in a mechanically stabilizedearth (MSE) structural system such as an MSE wall. Further for example,the exemplary disclosed system and method may be used in areas havingcorrosive soil, exposed to chemical deicing, and/or disposed at or neara tidal water areas or areas having ground water. Additionally forexample, the exemplary disclosed system may be used in a structuralsystem disposed on land, a marine structural system, or a coastalstructural system. Further for example, the exemplary disclosed systemmay be used in a structural system disposed in or near a non-aggressivesoil that may cause corrosion after a relatively long period of time.

FIG. 25 illustrates an exemplary disclosed method for providing aprotective coating on a member. Structural system 5, illustrated inFIGS. 1-9, will be used as an exemplary embodiment to illustrate theexemplary disclosed construction method, though any of the disclosedexemplary embodiments may be used to illustrate the exemplary method forproviding a protective coating on a member. The exemplary disclosedmethod for providing a protective coating on a member may be used, forexample, in conjunction with any of the exemplary embodiments describedabove.

In step 200, member 30 is configured. For example, member 30 may beshaped in a desired form as illustrated, e.g., in FIGS. 3 and 4. Forexample, member 30 may be bent at two or more locations along a lengthof member 30, thereby bending member 30 at a plurality of locationsalong the length of member 30. Member 30 may also be punched, forexample, to provide aperture 40. Following shaping and punching, member30 may be galvanized and/or aluminized by any suitable method. Forexample, steel strips or wires may be configured into a final geometry,then hot-dip galvanized in a bath of zinc to configure member 30.

Alternatively, for example, member 30 may be configured in any othersuitable manner. For example, a steel coil may be dipped in a bath,slit, and then configured into a desired shape for member 30 (e.g.,shaped and punched) as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, asheet of steel coil may be dipped in a bath of pure aluminum, the steelcoil may be slit, and the resulting steel strips (e.g., Aluminized SteelType 2) may be configured into member 30 having a final, desiredgeometry. Members of reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e,and 20 f may be similarly configured according to step 200.

In step 205, member 30 is submersed in a solution. As illustrated inFIG. 26, member 30 may be submersed in a material 206 contained in ahousing 207. Material 206 may be any suitable material for preparingmember 30 for adhesion by removing scale and/or substantially preventingloss of a base material of member 30. For example, material 206 may be apickling solution. Also for example, material 206 may include solubleorganic and/or inorganic phosphorous-sulfur compounds. Member 30 may bepartially or entirely substantially submersed in material 206. Membersof reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may besimilarly submersed according to step 205.

In step 210, member 30 is dried. Member 30 may be dried by any suitablemethod such as, for example, being dried by using a heating device,being dried by using a drying device, or being dried over time inambient conditions. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 27, member 30may be dried by using an infrared heater 211 to reduce drying time.Members of reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 fmay be similarly dried according to step 210.

In step 215, member 30 is prepared for coating. For example, aftersubstantially all surfaces of member 30 are dry and have a substantiallysmooth, uniform finish (e.g., after steps 200, 205, and 210 areperformed), member 30 may be suitably placed for coating. For example,member 30 may be laid out or hung for a coating method such as, forexample, spraying. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 28, member 30 maybe hung or suitably placed for coating. For example, member 30 may beprepared for coating by being hung from a device 216 such as, forexample, a mechanical clamp, a device having a projection for receivingaperture 40, or any other suitable device on which member 30 may beplaced in preparation for coating (e.g., a mount or other device forsupporting member 30 from below). Members of reinforcing members 20 a,20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may be similarly prepared according tostep 215.

In step 220, coating equipment is connected to stored material forcoating. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 29, coating equipment 221may be connected to stored material housing 222 that may be any suitablehousing for storing a coating material and may be a pressurizedcontainer. For example, coating equipment 221 may include a passageway223 and a nozzle assembly 224, Passageway 223 may fluidly connect storedmaterial housing 222 to nozzle assembly 224. Coating material 226contained in housing 222 may thereby be transported from housing 222 tonozzle assembly 224 via passageway 223. Coating equipment 221 andhousing 222 may store and transfer coating material 226 under pressure.Passageway 223 may be any suitable passageway for transferring coatingmaterial 226 such as, for example, a flexible hose and/or a heated hose.Nozzle assembly 224 may be any suitable device for placing coatingmaterial such as, for example, a spray nozzle for placing a pressurizedcoating material. For example, coating equipment 221 and housing 222 mayprovide substantially precise fluid pressure for coating material 226suitable for providing coating 35 having desired coating mix, thickness,and polymerization. For example, coating equipment 221 may be a multiplecomponent spray machine that internally mixes polyurethane. Coatingmaterial 226 includes materials corresponding to the materials describedabove for coating 35 (e.g., applying coating material 226 to member 30provides coating 35 on member 30). Similar preparations may be made,e.g., for coatings 35 c, 35 d, 80, and 85.

In step 225, nozzle assembly 224, a fluid pressure of coating material226, and a temperature of coating material 226 are prepared forapplication. An operator may operate coating equipment 221 and housing222 to bring coating material 226 to a desired fluid pressure andtemperature. An operator may also prepare nozzle assembly 224 to providecoating 35 having desired coating mix, thickness, and polymerization.Coating material 226 may be heated, for example, to between about 100degrees and about 160 degrees, or to between about 120 degrees and about140 degrees. Similar preparations may be made, e.g., for coatings 35 c,35 d, 80, and 85.

In step 230, as illustrated for example in FIG. 29, member 30 is sprayedusing coating equipment 221. Nozzle assembly 224 may mix components ofcoating material 226 at or near a tip of nozzle assembly 224, anddispense material 226 at high pressure to form coating 35. A desiredcoating may thereby be provided (e.g., as described above for coating 35provided on member 30). For example, coating equipment 221 may be usedto spray-coat member 30 with coating material 226 (e.g., elastomericmaterial) to provide coating 35. Reinforcing member 20 may be allowed tocure if appropriate. Also, for example, coating material 226 may dryrapidly to form coating 35 (e.g., dry in up to 5 or 10 seconds).Reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may besimilarly prepared according to step 230.

In step 235, touchup work is performed if appropriate to facilitateencapsulation of reinforcing member 20. For example, additional coatingmaterial 226 may be applied to member 30 to facilitate substantially allsurfaces of member 30 being sufficiently covered with coating 35.Reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may besimilarly touched up according to step 235. Members of reinforcingmembers 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may thereby be completelyor partially encapsulated by their respective coatings.

In step 240, reinforcing member 20 is allowed to dry. For example,reinforcing member 20 may be allowed to become substantially entirelydry. Reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f may besimilarly allowed to dry according to step 240. In the case in which,e.g., the respective coating of reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20d, 20 e, and 20 f is an elastomeric material and the respective memberof reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f is ametallic material, an alloy layer between the coating and the member maynot form (e.g., as in the case of zinc and aluminum coatings, in whichcase an alloy layer does form).

Reinforcing members 20, 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, and 20 f aredisposed in material 15 (and respective material per the above exemplaryembodiments, e.g., material 15 a). As set forth above, reinforcingmembers 20 are connected to structural members 10 via connectionassemblies 25 of structural system 5 (as well as other exemplaryembodiments as set forth above, e.g., structural systems 5 a, 5 c, 5 d,and/or 5 f). The exemplary disclosed reinforcing members resist load inload direction D as illustrated in FIG. 7.

As reinforcing member 20 resists load in load direction D (e.g., asillustrated in FIG. 7), reinforcing member 20 transfers the load intothe surrounding portions of material 15 by both friction and passiveresistance (e.g., passive soil resistance) as described above. Also, asdescribed above, reinforcing member 20 elongates based on its non-linearshape as load is resisted in load direction D, providing additionalelasticity that allows portion 65 of material 15 to develop increasedshear strength, which reduces the load in reinforcing member 20.Reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 e, 20 e 1, and 20 f, forexample, may elongate similarly.

As described above, elongation properties of coating 35 provide it withstrain compatibility with member 30. As member 30 is strained underload, coating 35 undergoes similar strain without fracture due to theelongation properties described above. Accordingly, reinforcing member20 undergoes strain with strain compatibility between member 30 andcoating 35. Reinforcing members 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, 20 e 1,and 20 f, for example, may experience similar strain compatibility.

Over a design life (e.g., or service life) of structural system 5 (e.g.,a period of years, decades, or longer), coating 35 protects member 30from corrosion. An initial cross section of member 30 is therebymaintained over the design life of structural system 5. For example,thickness of member 30 remains substantially constant over the designlife of structural system 5, which maintains substantially constantstrain and stress distribution across member 30, which may keepreinforcing member 20 substantially uniformly extensible throughout aservice life of structural system 5. Coated members of reinforcingmembers 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, 20 e 1, and 20 f similarlymaintain their initial cross sections. Additionally, the coatedexemplary connection assemblies described above similarly maintain theirinitial cross sections.

FIG. 30 illustrates another exemplary disclosed method for providing aprotective coating on a member, which may provide a protective coatingusing any suitable techniques. In step 300, a member is configured. Themember may be configured in a similar manner as described above in step200, or by any other suitable technique for configuring a reinforcingmember. In step 305, a member is prepared for coating. The member maybeprepared in a similar manner as described above in step 215, or by anyother suitable technique for preparing a reinforcing member for coating.In step 310, the member may be coated. The member may be coated in asimilar manner as described above in step 230, or by any other suitabletechnique for coating a member such as, for example, by mechanicallyapplying a coating or dipping the member into a coating material. Forexample, coating equipment 221 may include an apparatus for rolling acoating material onto a member to provide coating 35 on the member. Alsofor example, coating equipment 221 may include equipment that allows fora member to be coated by dipping the member into a coating material,thereby providing coating 35 onto the member.

In step 310, the member may be seamlessly encapsulated by the coating,In general, corrosion and metal loss may be a function of surfaceirregularity and differential aeration mechanisms on the member. Whenthe coating encapsulates the member, the member may not be exposed to amaterial such as soil, which may substantially prevent surfaceirregularities, impurities in the material of the encapsulated member,and differential aeration that lead to material loss (e.g., micro-cellsand electrical potential, which may lead to corrosion, are no longerpresent). These factors, which may break down material such as steel,zinc, and aluminum materials over time, may not be present. Further,when the member is encapsulated by the coating, macro-cells that maydevelop between the exemplary structural member and an end portion ofthe exemplary reinforcing member are no longer connected by a conduit(e.g., a steel conduit in the case in which the exemplary reinforcingmember is metal such as steel). The encapsulated member thereby does nothave a higher potential between pH differences in the material of theexemplary structural system (e.g., between a concrete fascia and soilbackfill, when the exemplary structural system is an MSE wall).Accordingly, the coating electrically isolates the encapsulated member.Accordingly, coating the member (e.g., member 30 or any other exemplarymember disclosed above) may include completely encapsulating the memberwith the coating (e.g., coating 35 or any other exemplary coatingdisclosed above).

FIG. 31 is a graph illustrating a corrosion rate of the exemplaryreinforcing members compared to conventional corrosion rates. FIG. 31illustrates how the thickness of conventional reinforcing members (e.g.,as represented in the graph by Galvanized Steel and ALT2 Steel, ascalculated according to design standards of the American Association ofState Highway and Transportation Officials) decrease over a lifetime ofconventional structures due to corrosion. In comparison, FIG. 31 showshow an example of the exemplary disclosed reinforcing members (e.g.,elastomeric coating steel) experiences little or substantially nodecrease in thickness due to corrosion.

The exemplary disclosed system and method may provide a protectivecoating that substantially prevents corrosion of reinforcing membersover the service life of a structure. For example, the exemplarydisclosed system may provide a method for delaying an onset ofcorrosion, allowing the use of relatively thin metallic elements asreinforcement for the design life of a structure, without usingincreased thicknesses of reinforcement to account for corrosion. Alsofor example, the exemplary disclosed system may provide connectionsbetween reinforcing members and fascia structural members that arecorrosion-resistant. Further for example, the exemplary disclosed systemmay provide increased abrasion resistance for reinforcing members duringhandling and shipping.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system andmethod. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosedsystem and method. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A soil reinforcing member comprising: a metallic member extendingbetween a first end and a second end, the first end being engageablewith a structural member, and the metallic member being deformable suchthat the metallic member elongates with a soil surrounding the soilreinforcing member; and an elastomeric coating disposed on the metallicmember to mitigate corrosion of a cross-sectional area of the metallicmember; wherein the elastomeric coating includes a dielectric strengthsufficient to electrically isolate the metallic member from the soil,and an elongation equal to or greater than an elongation of the metallicmember to mitigate cracking of the elastomeric coating upon elongationof the metallic member, such that the cross-sectional area of themetallic member is less than a cross-sectional area of an equivalentmetallic soil reinforcing member without the elastomeric coating.
 2. Thesoil reinforcing member of claim 1, wherein the coating includespolyurethane or polyurea.
 3. The soil reinforcing member of claim 1,wherein the elastomeric coating has a tensile strength of between about2,000 psi and about 5,000 psi.
 4. The soil reinforcing member of claim1, wherein the elastomeric coating has a tear strength of between about500 pli and about 1000 pli.
 5. The soil reinforcing member of claim 1,wherein the elastomeric coating has an elongation of between about 90%and about 600%.
 6. (canceled)
 7. The soil reinforcing member of claim 1,wherein the elastomeric coating has an elongation of between about 300%and 600% and the metallic member is designed to strain between about 1%and 3%, such that strain compatibility exists between the metallicmember and the elastomeric coating.
 8. The soil reinforcing member ofclaim 1, wherein the elastomeric coating has a di-electric strength ofbetween about 200 V/mil and about 400 V/mil.
 9. The soil reinforcingmember of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric coating has a thickness ofbetween about 10 mils and about 100 mils.
 10. (canceled)
 11. The soilreinforcing member of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the elastomericcoating is thicker at the first end of the metallic member, and thethickness of the elastomeric coating decreases along the length of themetallic member in a direction moving away from the first end.
 12. Amethod of producing a soil reinforcing member including a deformablemetallic member extending between a first end and a second end, themethod comprising: bending the first end of the metallic member forengagement with a structural member; and coating the metallic memberwith an elastomeric material to mitigate corrosion of a cross-sectionalarea of the metallic member, wherein the elastomeric material includes adielectric strength sufficient to electrically isolate the metallicmember from the soil, and an elongation equal to or greater than anelongation of the metallic member to mitigate cracking of theelastomeric coating upon elongation of the metallic member, such thatthe cross-sectional area of the metallic member is less than across-sectional area of an equivalent metallic soil reinforcing memberwithout the elastomeric coating.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereincoating the metallic member includes completely encapsulating themetallic member with the coating.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereincoating the metallic member includes spray-coating the metallic memberwith the elastomeric material.
 15. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising galvanizing or aluminizing the metallic member.
 16. Amechanically stabilized earth retaining system comprising: a soilreinforcing member including a metallic member extending between a firstend a second end; a connection assembly at the first end of the metallicmember; and an elastomeric coating covering substantially the entiretyof the metallic member to mitigate corrosion of a cross-sectional areaof the metallic member; a structural member engageable with theconnection assembly of the soil reinforcing member to retain earth;wherein the elastomeric coating includes a dielectric strengthsufficient to electrically isolate the metallic member from the soil,and an elongation equal to or greater than an elongation of the metallicmember to mitigate cracking of the elastomeric coating upon elongationof the metallic member.
 17. The mechanically stabilized earth retainingsystem of claim 16, wherein the structural member is a concrete member.18. The mechanically stabilized earth retaining system of claim 16,wherein the reinforcing member is welded wire reinforcement. 19.(canceled)
 20. The mechanically stabilized earth retaining system ofclaim 16, wherein a thickness of the coating of the metallic memberdecreases along the longitudinal axis in a direction moving away fromthe connection assembly.
 21. The soil reinforcing member of claim 1,wherein an exterior surface of the elastomeric coating is configured toincrease the frictional resistance between the soil reinforcing memberand the soil.
 22. The soil reinforcing member of claim 1, wherein thesoil reinforcing member has a service life, and the cross-sectional areaof the soil reinforcing member remains constant during at least aportion of the service life.
 23. The soil reinforcing member of claim22, wherein the first end of the metallic member is directly engageablewith the structural member.